There are so many things wrong with that statement, including but not limited to:

— If a current coach at another school calls about the Arkansas job, is that really the kind of coach Long would listen to? Any coach who is currently under contract—as a head coach or assistant coach—should not be calling about job prospects during a season.

Because if he’s calling this time—I can’t believe I have to explain this—what’s to say he won’t be calling the next time a better job opens up while he’s your coach?

— If I’m Long’s boss, I’m on the horn right now explaining, in no uncertain terms, that his job is to find a coach. Not open it up to all comers.

“I’m not actively reaching out to them,” Long said at the Quarterback Club. “It’s not an appropriate time to do that, and there is plenty of time to do that at the end of the season.”

Now that we’ve got that straightened out, let’s look at the top three coaches who should call Long—after their seasons are complete:

1. Sonny Dykes, Louisiana Tech: A terrific offensive mind and a smooth personality. Nothing will faze him—not even the nuthouse of the last six months in Fayetteville. There’s no coincidence that it started going downhill at Arizona for Mike Stoops once Dykes left for his first head coaching job at LaTech.

2. Kirby Smart, Alabama defensive coordinator: He has a good gig now, he gets paid like a head coach and he’s winning championships. In other words, he can be choosy. But don’t kid yourself, Arkansas is an elite job—and not one he’d pass up. The Nick Saban coaching tree has been hit (Will Muschamp) and miss (Derek Dooley), and Saban has raved about Smart’s coaching acumen and ability to relate to players.

3. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks: Yeah, it’s a pipedream. And it probably is going to take an utter collapse by the Seahawks this season. But Carroll is as competitive as it gets, and where else would it make better sense than to return to the college game than in the toughest conference—all while trailing the two (Alabama, LSU) strongest programs in the nation.

You made USC a monster, Pete. Now let’s see what you can do at Arkansas—while trading blows with two other heavyweights (and the rest of the SEC).